Dreaming is Free*

Hovering in my state-of-residence was surprisingly fun in November and December when playing outdoors and reconnecting with familiar faces; and while January challenged me to face the windy, cold weather, it was still possible to have fun times outdoors. 

Then along came February when I have been thanking Pope Gregory for just 28 days. The past two weeks have been abusive; with my body, mind and soul barely functioning as I went from sunshine on my face during hours of outdoor movement to days that felt like night. It’s now the last week of February, and the smell of spring is in the air, the temps have risen, the sky is blue, and I am congratulating myself for a job well done. ​

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While I haven’t been successful in securing a vaccine – the elusive reward for a Maryland winter – my time in place has brought light to my three-season personality, clarity to what the next few years may offer, and a dream list that will probably take me through life’s end. Here’s what’s brewing as dreaming is a really good thing right now:  

​    • Bike tour Alaska and see the interior (not solo, because, bears)
    • Hike the Kumano Kudo in Japan and travel beyond (soon, as it’s challenging terrain, but not in 2021)
    • Spend a summer in Portugal and the Madeira Islands (wait for the Portugal fad to simmer) 
    • Volunteer at Bryce Canyon National Park and enjoy more of southern Utah (no rush at all)
    • Give the state of New Mexico its due (I’ve passed through too rapidly, twice)
    • Tour the Western Plains of Canada with a stop in Banff and Lake Louise, then a stay in Jasper National Park (not in busy July)
    • Spend another summer in the Maritimes (my future seasonal home?), and do Bike Maine in September (canceled for 2021)
    • Enjoy a French immersion program in Quebec Province or France (stay a while to use it)
    • Qualify for a writing retreat in an amazing location to do nothing but write (get published before I perish)
    • Volunteer with World Central Kitchen somewhere in the world (because they’re amazing)
    • Cycle the Rhine River Route then visit friends in Belgium, France and the UK 
    • Spend a few days with a fun-loving person at the Hotel del Coronado (yes, it was on the 2015 list), and spend another week or two
​       in Point Loma (because, why not?) 

In the short term, as in a few days, I’m rolling out of Ocean City to a small town on the Virginia Eastern Shore. Yes, I’m traveling 90 miles south and yes, I’m thrilled. 

*Thanks to Blondie, Dreaming (recorded September 1979)